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ActRaiser

(34 posts)
Mon Apr 15, 2024, 07:08 AM Apr 15

Hi, i made it out of ten-post probation...

So as the DU bot recommended, I am introducing myself in the Lounge.

I've been reading this site since 2001. I found it while taking a web design course at the Empire State Building back in that summer before the towers fell, and it has since become my go-to for news. I figured I'd finally sign up for it- a mere 23 year delay between inception and execution. Just not a joiner, I guess!

I needed to do this now, since it might become verboten if Trump manages to ooze his way back into power and enact his little idiot dictatorship. My wife and I also joined the League of Women Voters last week and already registered a bunch of kids to vote at our daughter's high school, with a couple more events coming up. A little engagement has made me feel less hopeless.

Anyway, that's a thumbnail sketch of why I'm here. Feels odd to finally be a member after watching this place from afar for so long, but I'm glad I joined!


71 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Hi, i made it out of ten-post probation... (Original Post) ActRaiser Apr 15 OP
Welcome! KarenS Apr 15 #1
welcome, friend Conjuay Apr 15 #2
Welcome... 2naSalit Apr 15 #3
We might get along just fine True Dough Apr 15 #4
Thanks all ActRaiser Apr 15 #9
Oops! I draw the line at D&D True Dough Apr 15 #20
I loved Axis & Allies ActRaiser Apr 15 #23
Yes, Fortress America was another one that we played! True Dough Apr 15 #25
I'm glad to know ActRaiser Apr 15 #34
Fun fact about Fortess America... ActRaiser Apr 15 #36
Diplomacy? IbogaProject Apr 15 #39
Yes, that's it. Thanks. True Dough Apr 15 #50
I've been meaning to set up a "postal" diplomacy IbogaProject Apr 15 #53
My buddies and I actually started a game of Diplomacy throught the mail True Dough Apr 15 #64
"chess, which is in the public domain" Beartracks Apr 15 #69
Rec'd. Niagara Apr 15 #15
The time for a thing is when it happens. It is sometimes said that "timing is everything"... WheelWalker Apr 15 #5
Welcome! Irish_Dem Apr 15 #6
Welcome. We need more people to beat back the creeping Fascist Theocracy that seeks to decimate American Democracy. magicarpet Apr 15 #7
Welcome!😀 Phoenix61 Apr 15 #8
Welcome! Silver Gaia Apr 15 #10
Ditto! BigmanPigman Apr 15 #13
Welcome Home!... MiHale Apr 15 #11
Welcome aboard! lark Apr 15 #12
Welcome home, ActRaiser Niagara Apr 15 #14
cool beans DoBW Apr 15 #16
Welcome to DU, we're glad to (finally) have you with us! Rhiannon12866 Apr 15 #17
Welcome! LuvLoogie Apr 15 #18
Glad you're emerging from lurking mode.. SergeStorms Apr 15 #19
Valkommen. marked50 Apr 15 #21
Excellent work! Bluethroughu Apr 15 #22
'Glad you are here and are posting! Welcome! hlthe2b Apr 15 #24
Welcome to DU! KS Toronado Apr 15 #26
Welcome malaise Apr 15 #27
Nice work! Hope22 Apr 15 #28
Welcome appleannie1 Apr 15 #29
Welcome! Joinfortmill Apr 15 #30
Welcome, friend. So glad you FINALLY decided to come in from the cold! niyad Apr 15 #31
Welcome!! markie Apr 15 #32
Welcome Ohio Joe Apr 15 #33
23 years lurking? PatSeg Apr 15 #35
That has to be a record! Mr. Evil Apr 15 #40
Lol I know! ActRaiser Apr 15 #41
Well, Mr. Evil Apr 15 #44
And now you see what a great bunch we are PatSeg Apr 15 #46
Seriously PatSeg Apr 15 #45
Lololololol blm Apr 15 #48
Congrats yankee87 Apr 15 #37
Hi! Welcome! Wednesdays Apr 15 #38
Hi, ActRaiser Not Heidi Apr 15 #42
Welcome aboard. Don't have to tell you what a great site this is. Fla Dem Apr 15 #43
Hiya. I lurked for over a year before I joined. blm Apr 15 #47
I wasn't up for it then ActRaiser Apr 15 #49
Welcome to DU! CousinIT Apr 15 #51
Greetings and Welcome ActRaiser! (n/t) OldBaldy1701E Apr 15 #52
welcome! AllyCat Apr 15 #54
Welcome! liberalla Apr 15 #55
Navy vet here . Permanut Apr 15 #56
Welcome to a great web site. Scruffy1 Apr 15 #57
YAY!!! Welcome, ActRaiser! calimary Apr 15 #58
me too et tu Apr 15 #59
Welcome aboard! Emile Apr 15 #60
Welcome debm55 Apr 15 #61
Cheers! TeamProg Apr 15 #62
Welcome! ShazzieB Apr 15 #63
Welcome and I agree with you, this is a good site for news. Prof. Toru Tanaka Apr 15 #65
*-*-* soldierant Apr 15 #66
Welcome ... It's about time you joined our party! FakeNoose Apr 15 #67
Welcome Underground proud patriot Apr 15 #68
Congratulations, welcome, and glad you joined, too! Beartracks Apr 15 #70
Welcome! Grumpy Old Guy Apr 16 #71

KarenS

(4,085 posts)
1. Welcome!
Mon Apr 15, 2024, 07:12 AM
Apr 15

Some of us read more than we post
been here off and on forever (it seems)

I hope your fears are not realized.

True Dough

(17,314 posts)
4. We might get along just fine
Mon Apr 15, 2024, 07:17 AM
Apr 15

Both Dem supporters.

Both born in '73.

Both possess a strange sense of humor.

I like our chances.




WELCOME!

True Dough

(17,314 posts)
20. Oops! I draw the line at D&D
Mon Apr 15, 2024, 08:25 AM
Apr 15

I enjoyed tabletop games when I was a teen, but more of the war variety: Axis and Allies, Samurai, Risk and there was one with no dice involved but I cannot remember the name of it offhand. Oh, and chess. Played a fair bit of chess.

ActRaiser

(34 posts)
23. I loved Axis & Allies
Mon Apr 15, 2024, 08:35 AM
Apr 15

I had that whole series of games - Axis and Allies, Fortress America, Broadsides and Boarding Parties, the Roman one and the Japanese one. I sold them all to a hobby store when I was 18 for next to nothing - chalk it up to dumb things one does as a kid!

True Dough

(17,314 posts)
25. Yes, Fortress America was another one that we played!
Mon Apr 15, 2024, 08:46 AM
Apr 15

I went searching via Google and found the name of the no dice strategy game that I mentioned earlier: Diplomacy.

ActRaiser

(34 posts)
36. Fun fact about Fortess America...
Mon Apr 15, 2024, 09:22 AM
Apr 15

I had the original one that came out in like 1986 or so. On the cover, one of the bad guys depicted looked exactly like Saddam Hussein. In later releases of the game, the artwork changed and that figure was given a beard and dark sunglasses. Go figure, right?

IbogaProject

(2,825 posts)
39. Diplomacy?
Mon Apr 15, 2024, 09:53 AM
Apr 15

That was a dice free game, more of a sneaking around and plotting and scheming than overt strategy.

True Dough

(17,314 posts)
50. Yes, that's it. Thanks.
Mon Apr 15, 2024, 11:25 AM
Apr 15

I Googled the parameters and found the name. Posted it above at 9:46 a.m., so I'm not blowing smoke!

IbogaProject

(2,825 posts)
53. I've been meaning to set up a "postal" diplomacy
Mon Apr 15, 2024, 12:12 PM
Apr 15

We summer in a small cottage community and there would be just enough youth to let them loose with that turning in moves three days a week. We did it in High School and it was quite fun. While I'm normally peaceable, accepting and accommodating in real life I was a maniac any time we played that either around a table or postal style. It seems like the only other game played by mail other than chess.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplomacy_(game)

Diplomacy is a strategic board game created by Allan B. Calhamer in 1954 and released commercially in the United States in 1959.[1] Its main distinctions from most board wargames are its negotiation phases (players spend much of their time forming and betraying alliances with other players and forming beneficial strategies)[2] and the absence of dice and other game elements that produce random effects. Set in Europe in the years leading to the First World War, Diplomacy is played by two to seven players,[3] each controlling the armed forces of a major European power (or, with fewer players, multiple powers). Each player aims to move their few starting units and defeat those of others to win possession of a majority of strategic cities and provinces marked as "supply centers" on the map; these supply centers allow players who control them to produce more units. Following each round of player negotiations, each player can issue attack and support orders, which are then executed during the movement phase. A player takes control of a province when the number of provinces that are given orders to support the attacking province exceeds the number of provinces given orders to support the defending province.

Diplomacy was the first commercially published game to be played by mail (PBM); only chess, which is in the public domain, saw significant postal play earlier. Diplomacy was also the first commercially published game to generate an active hobby scene with amateur fanzines; only science-fiction, fantasy and comics fandom saw fanzines earlier. Competitive face-to-face Diplomacy tournaments have been held since the 1970s. Play of Diplomacy by e-mail (PBEM) has been widespread since the late 1980s.[4]


True Dough

(17,314 posts)
64. My buddies and I actually started a game of Diplomacy throught the mail
Mon Apr 15, 2024, 08:28 PM
Apr 15

We certainly never finished it. Can't remember how many turns we each took before it lost momentum. Several.

Beartracks

(12,821 posts)
69. "chess, which is in the public domain"
Mon Apr 15, 2024, 11:55 PM
Apr 15

Wow, I never thought of chess as "being in the public domain." I always just thought of it as... well, chess.

==================

WheelWalker

(8,955 posts)
5. The time for a thing is when it happens. It is sometimes said that "timing is everything"...
Mon Apr 15, 2024, 07:20 AM
Apr 15

"Am I too early? Am I too late?" In any event, it is when it is.

Welcome aboard.

magicarpet

(14,160 posts)
7. Welcome. We need more people to beat back the creeping Fascist Theocracy that seeks to decimate American Democracy.
Mon Apr 15, 2024, 07:40 AM
Apr 15

The more truly patriotic foot soldiers who join the cause the better our chances to put this monster to rest.

MiHale

(9,770 posts)
11. Welcome Home!...
Mon Apr 15, 2024, 08:03 AM
Apr 15

Took me a while to join also and a bit to start commenting but as I waded deeper, it became more comfortable.
Glad to have you aboard.

lark

(23,142 posts)
12. Welcome aboard!
Mon Apr 15, 2024, 08:12 AM
Apr 15

This is a great place to find and discuss news, music, health, photography and many other topics.

Rhiannon12866

(205,839 posts)
17. Welcome to DU, we're glad to (finally) have you with us!
Mon Apr 15, 2024, 08:20 AM
Apr 15

And thanks for all you do getting the kids registered!

Bluethroughu

(5,176 posts)
22. Excellent work!
Mon Apr 15, 2024, 08:34 AM
Apr 15

Welcome to the conversations, and glad to know we have more than trolls outside looking in!

niyad

(113,513 posts)
31. Welcome, friend. So glad you FINALLY decided to come in from the cold!
Mon Apr 15, 2024, 09:11 AM
Apr 15

And many kudis to you and your wife for becoming even more involved. We all hope our fears will be proven wrong, but we must be prepared in every possible way.

Looking foward to seeing more of your posts and OP's!

Ohio Joe

(21,761 posts)
33. Welcome
Mon Apr 15, 2024, 09:14 AM
Apr 15

If I might… I suggest visiting the gaming group:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1211

I don’t post there as much as I used to but… There have been more pressing matters. Still… I keep an eyeball on it and I suspect you would be a welcome addition there.

Joe

PatSeg

(47,560 posts)
35. 23 years lurking?
Mon Apr 15, 2024, 09:21 AM
Apr 15

Wow, I lurked for almost 3 years before I became a member. Better late than never. Welcome!

Fla Dem

(23,725 posts)
43. Welcome aboard. Don't have to tell you what a great site this is.
Mon Apr 15, 2024, 10:11 AM
Apr 15

So many long term members and new ones joining all the time. Glad you finally made the plunge.

blm

(113,082 posts)
47. Hiya. I lurked for over a year before I joined.
Mon Apr 15, 2024, 10:22 AM
Apr 15

That was 22 years ago. Happy to have another GOTV activist.

ActRaiser

(34 posts)
49. I wasn't up for it then
Mon Apr 15, 2024, 10:31 AM
Apr 15

There was a lot of personality-driven cliqueishness with which I didn't want to involve myself. It's a lot better now. Plus the state of the world feels even more dire now than it did under GWB, if that is possible. Stepping up, even in a tiny way, feels necessary to me.

CousinIT

(9,253 posts)
51. Welcome to DU!
Mon Apr 15, 2024, 11:39 AM
Apr 15


I've been here since 2001 when the USSC putched Shrub into office (used different usernames though). I don't know what the hell I'd do without DU!!

Glad you're here!

Scruffy1

(3,256 posts)
57. Welcome to a great web site.
Mon Apr 15, 2024, 02:18 PM
Apr 15

I don't actually post here, but have been a member since 2008. It's been my daily go to all that time. I've learned a lot here.

calimary

(81,421 posts)
58. YAY!!! Welcome, ActRaiser!
Mon Apr 15, 2024, 02:18 PM
Apr 15

Glad you're stepping up! I look forward to reading your posts. Glad you're here.

et tu

(888 posts)
59. me too
Mon Apr 15, 2024, 02:48 PM
Apr 15

i found du by my tree hugging son several years ago
but have just recently joined because i wanted the old view
[skinner] and i never thought confident enough to want to post.
now i do now and then~ welcome!

Prof. Toru Tanaka

(1,980 posts)
65. Welcome and I agree with you, this is a good site for news.
Mon Apr 15, 2024, 08:42 PM
Apr 15

And there are lots of interesting forums here besides political discourse.

FakeNoose

(32,709 posts)
67. Welcome ... It's about time you joined our party!
Mon Apr 15, 2024, 09:14 PM
Apr 15


This is such a great group here, and I'm sure you'll fit right in.

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